Good News

Today’s Good News 08/03/2018

Old Testament: Adam was tested in the Garden of Eden, and because he disobediently chose the Tree of Knowledge, he was cursed with sweat, thorns, and the dust of death. (Gen 3:17-19)

New Testament: Jesus was tested in the Garden of Gethsemane, and because he obediently chose the Tree of Life (the Cross), He ransomed man’s curse by sweating blood, wearing a crown of thorns, and being delivered to the dust of death. (Lk 22:39-46, Jn 19:5, Gal 3:13, Rom 5)

POPE UPDATES TEACHING ON DEATH PENALTY, SAYS IT’S ‘INADMISSIBLE’

With approval from Pope Francis, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith announced it has changed its teaching on the use of capital punishment, saying it is “inadmissible.”

Previous Teaching
Previously, the Catechism allowed capital punishment if it was “the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.” It added that non-lethal punishment is preferred whenever possible and that cases requiring the death penalty “are very rare, if not practically nonexistent.” Despite this allowance in narrow circumstances, Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis all affirmed their desire to abolish the death penalty, saying it was no longer necessary in modern society.

New Teaching
The new text recognizes that capital punishment was long considered an “acceptable, albeit extreme, means for safeguarding the common good.” However, it states that today there is “an increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of very serious crimes.” Additionally, “more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption.” Ultimately, the Church now teaches that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.”

Revision in Continuity with Preceding Magisterium
In a Letter to the Bishops, Cardinal Luis Ladaria explained that the revision of paragraph 2267 of the Catechism “expresses an authentic development of doctrine that is not in contradiction with the prior teachings of the Magisterium” and said “these teachings, in fact, can be explained in the light of the primary responsibility of the public authority to protect the common good in a social context in which the penal sanctions were understood differently, and had developed in an environment in which it was more difficult to guarantee that the criminal could not repeat his crime.”

The USCCB does not support or reject any Supreme Court nominee, but the bishops urge all people of faith to join this 9-week novena to pray that the next judge will help move our nation closer to the day when every human being is protected in law and welcomed in life.

LearnRoe v. Wade and its companion case Doe v. Bolton legalized abortion nationally through all 9 months of pregnancy. After viability Roe allows abortion to be prohibited except when the mother’s health is affected. Doe defined “health” to include “all factors – physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman’s age – relevant to the well-being” of the mother – making any limits on abortion difficult.

Act
The bishops ask that you make a sacrifice for today’s intention, such as fasting.

Pray
Recite the prayer intention below followed by an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

FEAST OF PARDON

On the first 2 days of August each year, the Vatican offers the Pardon of Assisi– a plenary indulgence to anyone who visits a Franciscan church, goes to Confession, receives Communion, and prays for the Pope’s intentions. The tradition began in 1216 when St. Francis of Assisi wanted to offer plenary indulgences to locals who could not make pilgrimages to Jerusalem, Rome, or Spain; and petitioned Pope Honorius III to extend the indulgence to the Portiuncula chapel in Assisi.

The unique feast is a good reminder to get to Confession. In 2014, Pope Francis said, “do not be afraid of Confession” because of shame or embarrassment. He added, “when one finishes Confession one leaves free, grand, beautiful, forgiven, candid, happy. This is the beauty of Confession!”

FR. KAPAUN’S REMIANS MAY BE AMONG THOSE RETURNED FROM N. KOREA

The remains of Servant of God Fr. Emil Kapaun of the Wichita, KS diocese may be among the 55 cases of service member remains from the Korean War that were returned from North Korea earlier this week. Fr. Kapaun died May 23, 1951, in a prison camp in Pyoktong, North Korea, and he was named a Servant of God by Pope John Paul II in 1993. It’s also possible that his remains rest at the tomb of unknown soldiers in Honolulu, HI.

COPTIC ORTHODOX BISHOP MURDERED IN EGYPT

A Coptic Orthodox bishop was found dead as a result of a suspected murder in St. Macarius Monastery in Egypt on Sunday. Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority has suffered continued attacks since the 2015 Islamic State beheading of 21 men. In December 2017, ten people were reported dead after terrorists attacked a Coptic church near Cairo. Forty-nine Christians died in church bombings on Palm Sunday in 2017. A Coptic priest was murdered in a knife attack in Cairo in October 2017.

The Coptic Orthdox Church is an Oriental Orthodox Church, meaning it rejected the 451 Council of Chalcedon, and its followers had historically been considered monophysites – those who believe Christ has only one nature – by Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox, though they are not considered so any longer.

APPLE BECOMES TRILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS

Apple became the world’s first publicly traded company to be valued at $1 trillion yesterday. The tech giant nearly went bankrupt in 1997 with a market value of under $2 billion and a stock value of less than $1 – a long way off the $207.39 it is going for today.

POPE’S AUGUST PRAYER INTENTION

The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network posted its August prayer intention video. This month Pope Francis requests we ask Jesus that any far-reaching decisions of economists and politicians may protect the family as one of the treasures of humanity.

CATHOLIC TRUTHS FOR STRAWS, PRONOUNS, AND ‘NASTY‘ WOMEN

When it seems as though our society is doomed, it is important to remember that for every problem Jesus has provided an antidote within His one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.

Saint Peter Julian Eymard began his priestly life in the Diocese of Grenoble. His faith journey led him to the Marists, and finally to founding the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament. Saint Peter had a deep devotion to Christ in the Eucharist, and his community members alternated between active ministry and contemplation of the Blessed Sacrament. He also co-founded the Congregation of the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament for women.